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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Vatican City, 9 July 2015 (VIS) –
Pope Francis began the second leg of his trip in Latin America
yesterday, as he arrived at El Alto airport, the highest on the
planet, situated at more than four thousand metres above sea level,
in La Paz, Bolivia, where he was awaited by the president of the
Plurinational State of Bolivia, Evo Morales, the country's first
leader to come from the indigenous population (Wru-Aimara), whom the
Holy Father met in the Vatican during the First World Meeting of
Popular Movements, organised by the Pontifical Council “Justice and
Peace” in October 2014.

In his first discourse in Bolivia, the
Holy Father affirmed that he came “as a guest and a pilgrim … to
confirm the faith of those who believe in the Risen Christ, so that,
during our pilgrimage on earth, we believers may be witnesses of his
love, leaven for a better world and co-operators in the building of a
more just and fraternal society”. After thanking President Morales
for his “warm and fraternal welcome”, he greeted the religious
and civil authorities, adding, “I think in a special way of the
sons and daughters of this land who for a variety of reasons have had
to seek 'another land' to shelter them; another place where this
earth can allow them to be fruitful and find possibilities in life”.

The Pope also expressed his joy in
encountering a land of such singular beauty, as declared in the
preamble of its Constitution: “In ancient times the mountains
arose, rivers changed course and lakes were formed. Our Amazonia, our
wetlands and our highlands, and our plains and valleys were decked
with greenery and flowers”. “It makes me realise once again that
'rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to
be contemplated with gladness and praise'. But above all, Bolivia is
a land blessed in its people. It is home to a great cultural and
ethnic variety, which is at once a great source of enrichment and a
constant summons to mutual respect and dialogue. There are the
ancient aboriginal peoples and the more recent native peoples. The
Spanish language brought to this land now happily co-exists with
thirty-six native languages, which come together – like the red and
yellow in the national flowers of Kantuta and Patuju – to create
beauty and unity in diversity. In this land and people, the
proclamation of the Gospel took deep root, and through the years it
has continued to shed its light upon society, contributing to the
development of the nation and shaping its culture”.

“Bolivia is making important steps
towards including broad sectors in the country’s economic, social
and political life. Your constitution recognises the rights of
individuals, minorities and the natural environment, and provides for
institutions to promote them. To achieve these goals a spirit of
civic cooperation and dialogue is required, as well as the
participation of individuals and social groups in issues of interest
to everyone. The integral advancement of a nation demands an ever
greater appreciation of values by individuals and their growing
convergence with regard to common ideals to which all can work
together, no one being excluded or overlooked. A growth which is
merely material will always run the risk of creating new divisions,
of the wealth of some being built on the poverty of others. Hence, in
addition to institutional transparency, social unity requires efforts
to promote the education of citizens.

“In days to come, I would like to
encourage the vocation of Christ’s disciples to share the joy of
the Gospel, to be salt for the earth and light to the world. The
voice of the bishops, which must be prophetic, speaks to society in
the name of the Church, our Mother, from her preferential,
evangelical option for the poor. Fraternal charity, the living
expression of the new commandment of Jesus, is expressed in programs,
works and institutions which work for the integral development of the
person, as well as for the care and protection of those who are most
vulnerable. We cannot believe in God the Father without seeing a
brother or sister in every person, and we cannot follow Jesus without
giving our lives for those for whom he died on the cross.

The Pope also touched on the theme of
the family in his first discourse, emphasising that “in an age when
basic values are often neglected or distorted, the family merits
special attention on the part of those responsible for the common
good, since it is the basic cell of society. Families foster the
solid bonds of unity on which human coexistence is based, and,
through the bearing and education of children, they ensure the
renewal of society”.

He continued, “the Church also feels
a special concern for young people who, committed to their faith and
cherishing great ideals, are the promise of the future, 'watchmen to
proclaim the light of dawn and the new springtime of the Gospel'. To
care for children, and to help young people to embrace noble ideals,
is a guarantee of the future of society. A society discovers renewed
strength when it values, respects and cares for its elderly, when it
chooses to foster a 'culture of remembrance' capable of ensuring that
the elderly not only enjoy quality of life in their final years but
also affection, as your Constitution puts it so well”.

Addressing those present, he added, “in
these days we can look forward to moments of encounter, dialogue and
the celebration of faith. I am pleased to be here, in a country which
calls itself pacifist, a country which promotes the culture of peace
and the right to peace”.

Finally, he entrusted his visit to the
protection of the Blessed Virgin of Copacabana, Queen of Bolivia, and
concluded by exclaiming “Jallalla Bolivia!”, an Aimara word
meaning “life” and “hope”.